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Objectives: To study the prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) in a certain rural area in Upper Egypt, identifying the factors that might be involved in its genesis. Study design: The current study is a cross-sectional community-based study. Methods: The study was conducted in El-Burgaia village, 5 km north to El-Minia city over a period of three months. Systematic random sampling was used to interview 200 female subjects, who gave birth within the last 14 months preceding interview. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) was applied to these females to identify the presence of PPD. Results: The sample size analysed was 200 females, 99 (49.5%) of them had PPD (29.5% had minor PPD and 20% had major PPD). The age of the study subjects ranged between 19 and 45 years old (mean age 29 ± 5.2 years). PPD occurred more significantly among wives of less educated husbands (P = 0.03). PPD was more common among those previously diagnosed of having depression or prescribed antidepressants (P = 0.02), in addition to those females experiencing financial problems after delivery (P = 0.0001). PPD was even more common among females having complications after delivery (P = 0.01). Using logistic regression analysis, total household income, child sleeping hours, complications after delivery and support of husband after delivery were found to be statistically associated with PPD. Conclusions: PPD is relatively common among rural females of El-Minia Governorate. Certain factors in these females, in the mere gestation and delivery after which they become depressed, and in the environment in which they live in, may all come to play a part in the emergence of their psychiatric illness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we describe results from a high-pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza virus (AIV) surveillance program in previously H5-vaccinated commercial and family-backyard poultry flocks that was conducted from 2007 to 2008 by the Egyptian National Laboratory for Veterinary Quality Control on Poultry Production, The real-time reverse transcription PCR assay was used to detect the influenza A virus matrix gene and detection of the H5 and Ni subtypes was accomplisheci using a commercially available kit real-time reverse transcription PCR assay. The virus was detected in 35/3,610 (0.97%) and 27/8,682 (0.31%) of examined commercial poultry farms and 246/816 (30%) and 89/1,723 (5.2%) of backyard flocks in 2007 and 2008, respectively. Positive flocks were identified throughout the year, with the highest frequencies occurring during the winter months. Anti-H5 serum antibody titers in selected commercial poultry ranged from <2 (negative) to 9.6 log2 when determined in the hemagglutination inhibition test using a H5 AIV antigen. In conclusion, despite the nationwide vaccination strategy of poultry in Egypt to combat H5N1 AIV, continuous circulation of the virus in vaccinated commercial and backyard poultry was reported and the efficacy of the vaccination using a challenge model with the current circulating field virus should be revised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Clin Microbiol Infect 2012; 18: 982-988 Abstract The aim of the study was to describe the characteristics of acute hepatitis E in Greater Cairo. Patients with acute hepatitis E were identified through a surveillance of acute hepatitis using the following definition: recent (<3 weeks) onset of fever or jaundice, alanine aminotransferase at least three times the upper limit of normal (uln), negative markers for other causes of viral hepatitis and detectable hepatitis E virus (HEV) RNA. Comparison of the liver tests between acute hepatitis E and hepatitis A virus (HAV), case-control analysis (four sex-matched and age-matched (±1 year) HAV controls per case) to explore risk factors and phylogenetic analyses were performed. Of the 17 acute HEV patients identified between 2002 and 2007, 14 were male. Median age was 16 years (interquartile range 13-22). Compared with HAV ( n = 68 sex-matched and ±1 year age-matched), HEV patients had higher bilirubin (mean (SD) 10.9 (5.7) uln versus 7.5 (4.4) uln, p 0.05) and aspartate aminotransferase levels (38.6 (27.1) uln versus 18.3 (18.1) uln, p 0.02). Co-infection (hepatitis C virus RNA or hepatitis B surface (HBs) -antigen positive/IgM anti-hepatitis B core (HBc) anitgen negative) was diagnosed in four patients. In univariate matched analysis (17 cases, 68 matched controls), HEV cases were more likely to live in a rural area than HAV controls (matched OR 7.9; 95% CI 2.0-30.4). Of the 16 isolates confirmed as genotype 1, 15 belonged to the same cluster with 94-98.5% identity in the open-reading frame 2 region. Our findings documented the sporadic nature of HEV in Greater Cairo, characterized a large number of Egyptian HEV genotype 1 strains and identified living in a rural area as a potential risk factor for infection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]